The second NBA Academy Games and Basketball Australia Prospects Camp tipped off yesterday at The NBA Global Academy at the Australia Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra, Australia. More than 120 prospects representing 18 countries arrived in Canberra for a series of exhibition games, on-court drilling, positional skill development and daily life skills sessions.
The week-long camp will feature prospects from the NBA Academies in Australia, China, India, Mexico and Senegal, along with five teams comprised of 50 top prospects from Australia, including BA’s Centre of Excellence team.
NBA Academy Game and BA Prospects Camp Teams: The NBA Global Academy; The NBA Academy Africa; The NBA Academy China; The NBA Academy India; The NBA Academy Latin America; Centre of Excellence
BA Prospects Team A; BA Prospects Team B; BA Prospects Team C; BA Prospects Team D; BA Prospects Team E
Today’s on-court action included combine testing, physio sessions and team practices throughout the morning. Prospects also participated in an Introduction to Meditation life skills session led by former NBA player and NBA Academy Advisory Committee member Adonal Foyle.
Exhibition games began Monday afternoon, including the following three matchups:
The NBA Academy China vs. The NBA Academy India
- The NBA Academy China defeated The NBA Academy India 81-63. The NBA Academy China features prospects from the three NBA Academies in China (Jinan, Urumqi and Zhuji), while The NBA Academy India traveled from Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) to Canberra for the second straight year. The high-scoring NBA Academy China team was paced by Xihao Yang, who recorded a 12 point / 10 rebound double-double and Lin Qi who dropped 17 points on 7/10 shooting. Pritish Jitesh Kokate scored 14 points off the bench for The NBA Academy India. Box Score.
The NBA Global Academy vs. The NBA Academy Latin America
- The NBA Global Academy defeated The NBA Academy Latin America 72-55. After being down two points at halftime, The NBA Global Academy rallied in the second half to outscore The NBA Academy Latin America by 19 points to win the opening game of the week. The NBA Global Academy had three players in double figures including, Tamuri Wigness (Australia), Josh Bannan (Australia) and Aly Khalifa (Egypt). The NBA Academy Latin America’s strong team chemistry was on full display, led by the dynamic backcourt of Jermaine Perez (Puerto Rico) and Santiago Vescovi (Uruguay) who scored 15 points and five points, respectively. Box Score.
The NBA Academy Africa vs. Centre of Excellence
- Centre of Excellence defeated The NBA Academy Africa 60-41 in the final game of the day. Centre of Excellence jumped out to an early 32-15 lead at the half before The NBA Academy Africa settled into an offensive rhythm, scoring 16 third quarter points. The Centre of Excellence benefited from a balanced scoring attack fueled by 21 points off turnovers. Alexander Ducas and Daniel Grida led the COE in scoring with 13 points and 10 points, respectively. Timothy Igohoefe (Nigeria) led The NBA Africa Academy with a team high 14 points and nine rebounds. Ibou Badji (Senegal) turned in an impressive eight point, six rebound and four block performance in 19 minutes. Box Score.
